Newcomer beats the first mayor of Wellington

Priore re-elected to Seat 1

runoff set in Seat 4 race

Mayor Tom Wenham, who has served Wellington as an elected official since before the town was founded, was ousted Tuesday by political newcomer Darell Bowen.

Bowen led handily throughout the night and won 60.1 percent of the vote, taking the mayor's seat by more than 900 votes.

Wenham has served on the council since Wellington was formed in 1996 and previously on the Acme Improvement District Board that oversaw the area before it incorporated. He has been mayor since 2003.

"I did everything I thought I had to do to win the election," Wenham said, shortly after calling Bowen to concede. "The residents wanted change and they got change. I just hope it's for the better."

The other winner in Wellington was incumbent Carmine Priore for Seat 1. The Seat 4 race, which had four candidates, will be decided in a runoff on March 25 between Matthew Willhite and Howard Coates Jr.

Bowen, 59, said he planned to give residents the change they asked for, but declined to say what he'd work on during his first days in office. He built his platform on plans to lead with a strong hand, slash the budget and improve customer service.

"I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work," he said from his home, where his supporters had gathered. "People recognized we need a little change. I don't think it's a negative reflection on Tom. They just think we need a little change."

FOR THE RECORD - CORRECTION PUBLISHED THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008.Headlines on pages 1B and 9B of Wednesday's Local section incorrectly reported the length of time Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham has been in office. Wenham has been mayor since 2003. Also, an incorrect photo of Wenham was published Wednesday on Page 1B of the Local section. This is the correct photo of Wenham.

The mayoral race pitted experience against change. Wenham ran on his record. Bowen, a political novice, promised to bring change and a businessman's eye to the job.

The campaign drew big bucks for what is a small-town election. Wenham raised $55,920 for the race and spent all but $2,548 of it. Bowen, the president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, pulled in $36,070 for his run and spent $25,523.

Wellington's fundraising record for a council election is $60,542, set in 2006 by Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto.

Wenham and about 30 of his supporters, including council members Benacquisto, Laurie Cohen and Bob Margolis, gathered at the Wellington Hampton Inn to watch the results come in.

He conceded shortly after 9 p.m., but people lingered, giving him hugs and wishing him well. Benacquisto's eyes teared up as she gave Wenham a long hug.

"You'll always be our man," one supporter said as she hugged him.

Wenham said he didn't know if he would stay involved in village politics but offered Bowen help should he ever need it. His wife, Regis, seemed to already have other plans.

"I get a life back," she said. "It's been a long time."

A runoff will be held between Coates and Willhite, who together took almost three-fourths of the votes in a four-way race to replace Cohen, who didn't seek re-election.

"I had hoped to win it outright, but I always had the realistic view that there would be a runoff," said Coates, who received 40 percent of the votes. "I'm very pleased. The second best thing to winning outright is winning the highest number of votes. This tells me my message is getting to the people of Wellington."

Willhite won 34 percent of the vote.

Coates, a lawyer, said he will spend the next two weeks trying to win over voters who voted for Timothy Shields and Frederick Van Dusen, the other candidates in the race.

Coates raised more than $33,000 in his bid for the council seat compared to Willhite's $15,000. Shields and Van Dusen raised $6,400 and $4,900 respectively.

Willhite, a firefighter with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, said he would continue doing what he did in the campaign - working hard and hitting the streets.

"We're going to continue with our message, which was quality of life and family values," he said. "We're going to try to touch everybody that voted and get them to come back out and vote for me again."

In the Seat 1 race Priore, who has 11 years experience on the council, took 55.59 percent of the vote to fend off political newcomer Duane Christensen.

Priore, 68, ran on his long history on the council, touting Wellington's parks and schools as his accomplishments. He has promised to cut taxes, bring employers to the village and maintain Wellington's services.

Priore raised $32,451 for his campaign. Christensen raised $26,370. This four-year term will be Priore's last as a councilman. He's term-limited in 2012.

"I'm very excited. Obviously the community came out and supported me," Priore said. "That's what I'm extremely happy about. I plan to be here to do the job I've always done."

In Wellington, only about 4,600 of the 33,360 registered voters cast ballots on Tuesday, about 14 percent. The village typically has low voter turnout for municipal elections. In 2006, only 24 percent of the 31,000 registered voters came out for three hotly contested races. In most recent years, the turnout didn't climb much above 18 percent, and Wellington has never exceeded the 36 percent of voters who came out in 1996 for its first election.

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Municipal commission, city council and mayoral election results, 6B-9B